New-look Panthers searching for team chemistry after lopsided loss in St. Louis

After worst loss in 19 months Dineen uses day off to create team togetherness

October 6, 2013|By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel

PHILADELPHIA — When nearly 50 percent of your roster is turned over, including the addition of five players in the final week of preseason, it's no wonder why Panthers coach Kevin Dineen referred to recently signed defenseman Tom Gilbert as, "Matt."

Dineen was probably thinking of another new arrival, defenseman Matt Gilroy.

So instead of wearing name tags, flying to Philadelphia to prepare for the Flyers on Tuesday or returning home for a few days to split up their four-game, nine-day road trip, Dineen chose to remain in St. Louis on Sunday and take the entire team to the Rams-Jacksonville Jaguars' game for some bonding time.

Punishment or reward?

Unfortunately, the beer probably didn't flow or taste as good for those old enough to imbibe (sorry, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov) after absorbing a 7-0 pounding by the St. Louis Blues Saturday night.

"I'm not even thinking about the football game," said former Blues defenseman Mike Weaver in an anger-filled postgame dressing room.

"Obviously, our whole entire game wasn't there. We just had a lesson in how you're supposed to play. We should take a page from their playbook.

"They came out hard, finished checks, won every puck battle. We should be watching their video next game in what they do and learn from it."

Granted, the Panthers or most opponents rarely fare well in St. Louis, where Florida is 3-10-1 and where their power play is rendered toothless. The Blues have the third-best home record and they smothered the Panthers' seven power plays over 12:21 while holding them to two shots.

The Blues, who are a perfect 11 of 11 on the PK, have killed off 28 straight penalties against the Panthers, who last scored a PPG in St. Louis in 2003.

"It would have helped if we scored in the first period on the power play, but we didn't have much answers to anything, so we've got to work on it," said Panthers winger Tomas Fleischmann, referring to three first-period power plays without a shot.

"They did what we expect them to do, they forced us hard and we just didn't move the puck quick enough."

The Panthers are 0 for 11 on the power play in the first two games, after being ranked a solid sixth last season, although they did go through long stretches without a power-play goal.

The team bonding may have begun a day earlier when after Jacob Markstrom took over the net from besieged starter Tim Thomas (5 goals on 28 shots) after two periods and promptly gave up two goals for a touchdown lead, emotions boiled over.

Recently reacquired Panthers enforcer Krys Barch had seen enough and exchanged chirps with Chris Stewart that officials deemed threatening enough to escort both off the ice. That instigated a series of nasty scrums that added up to six misconducts and 86 penalty minutes, including rare fight and roughing infractions involving Kris Versteeg and Fleischmann respectively.

Three Panthers received 10-minute misconducts, including to Barch, Erik Gudbranson and Jesse Winchester, who were spared from watching anymore of Florida's worst loss since a 7-0 loss to the Jets on March 1, 2012.

At least they could watch a football game between two of the worst teams in the NFL.

"You have ownership of it, being part of a win to start the season and you're part of a butt-kicking," Dineen said. "You move forward, hang out together as a team and get ready for the next one."

Huberdeau, a French Canadian, follows the CFL a little, but he, Barkov, a Finn, and Fleischmann, a Czech, have never been to an NFL game. Barch went to a Cowboys' game when he was with the Stars in 2010.

"There's a lot of new guys here, so it's nice to have these experiences on the road," Barch said.

Clemmensen wins

Panthers third goalie Scott Clemmensen, who was sent to their AHL affiliate in San Antonio for a couple of rehabilitation starts, notched 24 saves in a 3-1 win over the Rockford IceHogs Saturday night.